January 26, 1918

To the Assistant People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Comrade Chicherin:

We urgently request that you place at the disposal of the People's Commissariat for the Affairs of Nationalities the free premises available to you (from 60-100 rooms).

We request that you render assistance to Comrade Pestkovskii,¹ who has been dispatched for this purpose.

Chairman of the Council of
People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin)*

Printed from the typewritten text signed by V. I. Lenin

¹ G. V. Chicherin — member of the RSDLP from 1905. During the period of reaction — supporter of Menshevism; during the years of imperialist world war — an internationalist; at the end of 1917 he went over to the positions of Bolshevism and in 1918 joined the RCP(b). From May 30, 1918 to 1930 — People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.

² S. S. Pestkovskii — at this time a worker in the People's Commissariat for the Affairs of Nationalities.

³ I. V. Stalin (Dzhugashvili) — member of the RSDLP from 1898, from 1912 — member of the Central Committee. From November 1917 to July 1923 — People's Commissar for the Affairs of Nationalities; from March 1919 also People's Commissar of State Control, then People's Commissar of the RCI. After the Eighth Party Congress — member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b); after the Eleventh Party Congress — General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP(b).

N. P. Gorbunov — party member from 1917. After the October Socialist Revolution — secretary, then manager of affairs of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (later USSR) and of the Council of Labor and Defense.

* The directive was also signed by the People's Commissar for the Affairs of Nationalities I. V. Stalin and by the secretary of the Council of People's Commissars N. P. Gorbunov³.